Chiefs RBs Damien Williams and Carlos Hyde’s respective fantasy stocks received strong boosts following the 2019 Draft. The team gave their duo major votes of confidence and avoided any major backfield additions, nabbing only “change of pace” RB Darwin Thompson in Round Six. As such, Williams remains firmly in the driver’s seat of perhaps the most valuable backfield gig in all of fantasy football. Last season in this role, Williams scored 10 TDs in only six weeks while averaging over 22 FPs per game, a pace that trailed only Todd Gurley. Though Hyde remains a real threat, Williams’ Top-10 RB upside is much clearer now… and his 40+ ECR is all the more insulting.

“He just needed an opportunity, and when the opportunity presented itself he kind of took it and ran with it, and that’s why we extended him. He’s always been a talented player. He can run, catch, block, he can really do everything.”

This all felt like classic “Combine Coachspeak,” but seems more genuine after Kansas City added minimal competition. Yes, Hyde’s bruising rushing style could lead to GL or even early-down work. But Williams was plenty efficient with his scoring chances, and offers more versatility to better-fit the Andy Reid three-down mold.

Ultimately, the fantasy play is to buy both backs at their heavily discounted prices which don’t reflect the role’s insane upside. Even possibly without Tyreek Hill, this offense should be among the league’s most potent. Hell, maybe the backs inherit an even greater target share. Ultimately, whoever ends up being fed here should be a true Top-7 RB1. The current cost of admission is the 40th (Williams) and 175th (Hyde) picsk. Buy the entire backfield, gain the RB1. Both rank significantly higher on my latest 2019 Fantasy Football Big Board.

Bottom Line: Pass-catching specialist, who? Christian McCaffrey returned to his college workhorse roots under new OC Norv Turner, and quickly put up Fantasy MVP-worthy numbers. He continued to flash his otherworldly receiving abilities, hauling in an NFL record 106 catches for 875 yards and 6 TDs. Yet where the usage really rose was the carries, as McCaffrey nearly doubled his 2017 total for 215 carries, 1080 yards, and 7 scores. These 321 total touches ranked third behind only Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley, and this newfound volume created the ultimate ceiling / floor combination. In the process, McCaffrey flashed both the elusiveness, breakaway ability, and most shockingly underrated power to redefine the workhorse model.

​New OC Norv Turner deserves immense credit for this outburst. His previous work with LaDanian Tomlinson proved he wasn't afraid to ride a smaller-back, as he's able to scheme his guys in space and in creative outside gaps versus just blasting them up the gut... but even still, never before had an NFL back played nearly 97% of the team's snaps. Yes, this number inevitably will fall in 2019, but McCaffrey should still hover around 85-90%, especially with Turner returning. Expect a similar buffet of weekly volume with the upside for even more efficiency should the Panthers beef up their line while their explosive young wideouts take a next step forward.

Ceiling Projection: 320 touches (100 rec.), 2,000 Tot. Yds, 13 TDs

Floor Projection*: 270 touches (70 rec.), 1600 Tot. Yds, 7 TDs

Actual Projection: 310 touches (90 rec), 1900 Tot. Yds, 12 TDs

*Note - Floors are done without injuries in mind. Of course the lowest floor is torn ACL first play of scrimmage. This assumes 16 games